Gazelle (31 page)

“
You looked beautiful, tonight
,
” he smiles sidelong at her.

“
Thank you.  You look nice, too
.
”
“
It was good, was
n’
t it?  It felt like old times.  Dancing and laughing, I remembered why I love you so much
.
”

              She says nothing at first, studying the hills and billboards whizzing by, longing to be home and in her bath, decompressing.
 “
So you had fun tonight
?
” she asks.

              He swallows, her blatant disregard for his words hurtful, and returns his glare to the traffic.
 “
Yeah.  Did you
?
”
“
Too much, I think. 
I’
m gonnapay for it tomorrow
.
”
“
Do you have to work
?
”
“
Yeah.  W
e’
re getting that party ready. 
I’
m meeting CeCein the morning to go over my to-do list
.
”

“
Why are you doing it?  Ca
n’
t he hire someone to throw him a party
?
” he asks contemptuously.

              She glances at him and closes her eyes again.
 “
He did.  Me
.
”
“
You do too much for him
.
”
“
How so
?
”
“
You cook, you clean, youmake parties.  A rich dude like that, he should have a maid to do all that shit
.
”
“
I do
n’
t just do those things.  I do other things, too.  And I like doing those things for him.  I want to throw him a party, he deserves it.  H
e’
s not just my boss, h
e’
s my friend, too
.
”
“
Yeah, I got that
.
”

              She rolls her head to study him.  His face is a scowl as he switches lanes again and she sees very clearly there is not a trace of humor in his statement.
 “
Yo
u’
re jealous
!
”
              He frowns at her and shakes his head.
 “
Nothing to be jealous of
.
”
“
You are.  I
t’
s obvious.  And sweet
.
”
              His hand picks up hers and kisses it.
 “
If it makes you think
I’
m sweet, then, yes, jealous as all hell
.
”
              She snorts and pulls her hand away.
 “
Please!  I
t’
d take a lot more than you being jealous to make me think you were sweet
.
”

              He looks at her hard, studying her arrogance, no trace of her earlier flirtatious manner remaining, no seductress dancing against him in front of everyone, and he laughs as he realizes it was not him she was trying to make jealous the entire night.
 “
Yo
u’
ve got to be fucking kidding me
.
”
“
What
?
”
“
Yo
u’
re something else, you know that?  I ca
n’
t believe I fell for that shit.  At my own mothe
r’
s party, even.  You got a lot of nerve, you know that
?
”
“
What the hell are you talking about
?
”
“
You used me
!
”
“
What?  How
?
”
“
You used me to make that guerrojealous
!
”
“
That is ridiculous!  Are you joking
?
”
“
No, man,
I’
m not fucking joking!  As soon as he showed up, you had your hands on me, dancing with me, flirting with me the whole fucking time, right up until he left.  And me, stupid, fucking idiot, believed it!  You know, I do
n’
t know what the hell made you think that
I’
m the kind of guy you play like that, little girl, but I ai
n’
t, you get that straight right fucki
n
’ now
!
”
“
Do
n’
t talk to me that way! 
I’
m not a little girl and I was
n’
t playing you!  I
t’
s not my fault yo
u’
re too dense to get it!  How many times do I have to spell it out for you, huh?  Do you need me actually, physically, write it in block letters for you to get it?  We are over!  Done!  Friends and tha
t’
s it
!
”
“
Did you just call me dense?...Dense?!  As in stupid
?
”
              She pauses, her drunken brain trying to stop her drunken mouth but failing miserably.  She laughs, a spiteful laugh that instantly makes him swell until the car is suffocating with his rage.
 “
Oh my go
d
… not only do you need me to clarify our relationship status, again, for like, the millionth time, but you need me to
clarify
that you are, in fact, completely stupid! I mean, i
t’
s clear to the rest of the world, why would I assume i
t’
s clear to you, right
?
”
“
You stupid, fucking bitch, go fuck yourself
!
”
              Her face pales, her lips tremble, her head detaches from her spine.  Very calmly, she says
,“
Pull over
.
”
“
Fuck you!  You understand me?  Fuck you and your bullshit mind games and your dumb, mood swings, and FUCK your lame, rich white boy movie star
owner
who would
n’
t have shit to do with you unless you were
n’
t his glorified Mexican house slave.  I
t’
s pathetic,you cook for him, please!  Yo
u’
re pathetic, you hear me?  Dancing around, shaking that fat ass of yours like he could ever want to see it any other way than bent over, cleaning his fucking floors
!
”
“
PULL OVER!  PULL THE FUCK OVER! PULL OVER RIGHT NOW! DO IT
!
” she screams, slamming her fists over and over against the dash and his arms.

              He skids the car off the side of the freeway and fishtails to a stop, reaching across her and opening her door.
 “
Crazy bitch.  Get the fuck out
.
”

              He speeds towards his home, yawning and massaging his neck.  Almost midnight.  I
t’
s not even that late, he thinks, and I feel like a zombie.  He glances at the phone he forgot in the car, noting a missed call.  He picks it up and sees Alic
e’
s giant eyeballs glaring at him.  No voice message.  11:30PM.

              He frowns and taps the phon
e’s‘
redial
.
’
 
The phone rings 5 times.
 ‘
This is Alice. 
I’
m not dead.  But just in case, leave a message anyways
.
’
 
He hangs up and redials.  It rings once and then it picks up.

“
Hello
?
” he asks.

              There is no answer, just the hum of traffic.

“
Alice!  Hello
?
”
“
Hello?  Wh
o’
s this
?
” she asks, sounding very far away.
 “
Julian
?
”
“
Yeah, i
t’
s me.  Wha
t’
s going on?  Wh
y’
d you call
?
”

“
U
h…
do
n’
t worry about it. 
I’
ll see you tomorrow, okay
?
” she says, the sound of traffic almost drowning her out.

“
Where are you?  Wha
t’
s that noise
?
”
“
Julian, I have to go, okay?  I ca
n’
t-
I’
m waiting for the cab and I ca
n’
t hear you very well
.
”
              He pulls his car off to the side of the road and hits th
e‘
volum
e
’ button on his phone, suddenly very worried.
 “
Alice.  Where are you
?
”
              He hears her sniffling, no, sobbing.  His heart starts beating hard,his hand grips the steering wheel tight, trying to keep himself calm
.“
Alice
!
”
“
I tried calling Trina and Will but they did
n’
t pick up.  I had no one els
e…I’
m...
I’
m on the freeway.  Off the side of the fucking freeway
.
”
“
What?  What the fuck are you doing on the freeway?!Which freeway
?
”
“I’
m fine, listen, I gottago, okay? 
I’
ll-
I’
m gonnawalk. 
I’
ll call you-
I’
ll see you tomorrow.  I gottago
.
”
“
No!  Do
n’
t you fucking hang up, Alice.  Where are you, tell me right now
.
”

“
This is ridiculous
!…I’
m
…
uh-on the side of the freewa
y…
110 north near Hill
.
”
“
Okay, do
n’
t move, stay there
!
” he yells, peeling out and turning around.

              He sees her bright, red sweater and legs first.  Sh
e’
s standing close to the hedges, almost completely invisible otherwise, a tiny figure in a herd of fast moving monsters barreling past her without ever seeing her.  He hits his hazards and pulls off into the ditch a few feet ahead, watching in his rearview.  Her hair is down now, whipping violently around her face.  Her swing dress rises and falls rapidly against her legs, exposing the black tulle beneath it.  Her make up is gone, her eyes downcast.  She holds herself and moves quickly to the car.  When she gets in, she says nothing.  He looks at the oncoming traffic and then risks a sidelong glance at her.  She immediately pulls down the vanity mirror and wipes vigorously at her face, scrubbing away the streaks of mascara and eyeliner, the smeared lipstick, the traces of any upset.

“
Go
,
” she says.

              He hits his blinker and drives. 

“
Will you do me a favor
?
” she asks as they head towards the Hill exit.

“
Yeah
.
”
“
Will you take me to get something to eat?  My stomach hurts really ba
d…
I just need to eat something.  I have
n’
t eaten all day
,
” she says.

“
Sure.  Where
?
”
“
I do
n’
t care.  Just drive thru, anywhere.  Jack in the Box.  I do
n’
t care
.
”
              He nods and bites his lip, trying desperately to remember where the nearest Jack in the Box would be.  She glances at him and rolls her eyes.
 “
Take the next exit and go left at the light
.
”
“
Okay
,
” he says, and then, after a long, long pause
,“
Are you going to tell me what happened
?
”
              She sniffsand pulls her hair back in a tight bun.
 “
What do you think happened
?
”
“
…
Your car broke down
?
”
“
Did you see my car back there
?
”
“
What happened then
?
”
“
Anthony left me on the side of the freeway
.
”
              Julian looks at her, stunned, unsure if she is joking.  He understands by her face, eyes locked ahead, brows drawn down in a sharp expression he has never seen on her that she has never been more serious.